Should Hester only return kicks?

DevinHester
Special Hester simply ordinary as wide receiver

Mike North: Well, Dan, it happened. My greatest fears have been realized when it comes to Devin Hester.

The Bears have turned Devin into an ordinary ballplayer with extraordinary skills. When I first heard there was a chance the Bears would play him on offense, I was surprised. Hester is a superstar punt and kick returner. They gave him his new deal not because of what he may do in the future, but basically because of what he had done in the past.

He is the best punt returner and kickoff returner I've ever seen. But as a receiver he is simply ordinary. Last week: four catches for 37 yards. Those are Tom Waddle numbers, which is fine, but with all due respect, Hester should be a special-teams player only. He looks beat up; he is playing careful and he is thinking too much.

The only time he should be on offense is in the wildcat offense, where he would get a direct snap. I wanted that last year. This year, back to the bread and butter: kickoff returns and punt returns. He's had two injuries this year. He has not returned a kickoff or punt for a touchdown. He is very turnover-prone. His days of being a Pro Bowler are in jeopardy unless things change, and change quickly.

He was a missile and he can be again. Devin Hester got the Bears to the Super Bowl. He was the man. Lovie, call off the wide receiver experience and let him do his thing. If special teams is truly one-third of a team and not just coach-speak, then put him back into his comfort zone. He may catch a bomb from Rex this week, but in the long run, the opposition loves getting their shots at Devin on offense. Let him attack on special teams only.

Best-case scenario, he plays special-teams only -- and he runs one back eventually. Worst-case is he runs over the middle and gets knocked out for a year. Now people will say, ''That's football.'' I say, ''True, but limit his chances of injury. One job and one job only.''

The Bears can make him special again.

Don't remove essential facet of better offense

Dan Jiggetts: Are you kidding? If it were up to me, I would play Devin Hester at cornerback as well. Check that. It was tried and wasn't the best of times. Look, Mike, you can't lose sight of the objective of the offense, which is to put points on the board. After all, six points is still six points, it doesn't matter if they come from the return game or the passing game. The fact is, Devin Hester is a difference-maker. However you can get the football in his hands, you have to do it.

It isn't enough to just relegate Hester to returning punts and kickoffs. Granted, he did develop into an All-Pro by doing that, but teams have now schemed to keep the ball out of his hands. What that means for the opposing teams is they often end up sacrificing field position. The Bears end up with the ball past the 30-yard line on kickoffs and punts are not as deep.

Keep in mind, with all the balls being kicked to him in 2007 -- 59 in all -- he returned six for touchdowns. That's why it is imperative that you find other ways to exploit his talents, play him at wide receiver. While he may have taken some time to get comfortable at the position, Devin has become a gifted receiver with an uncanny understanding of the game. The wide receiver position is a complex one. The position requires the same skills as a quarterback when it comes to reading the defense, and he must execute the play while coordinating with the quarterback. Devin has proven that he has the ability to do all that.

So, my friend, the Beloved now have one of the best return men in the business and a receiver with game-breaking abilities. Just imagine the day when Kyle Orton and Devin Hester fully develop as a combination. Throwing the football will become more than just a passing fancy here in
Chicago: It will be expected. Bernard Berrian, the deep threat, is gone to the Vikings and we haven't seen much of Brandon Lloyd because of injury. It is clear Hester isn't just a luxury at receiver, he is indeed an essential element.

(suntimes.com)
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